“Invisible War” filmmakers launch treatment program

Filmmakers behind the documentary The Invisible War are helping to launch a pilot treatment program for survivors of military sexual trauma (MST).

The Artemis Invisible War Recovery Program and Fund will provide specialized treatment for those assaulted in the military.

The program was officially announced by the doc’s director Kirby Dick, producer Amy Ziering, and executive producers Regina Kulik Scully and Geralyn Dreyfous at an appearance in Los Angeles to promote the DVD release of the film. At that appearance, the filmmakers said more than US$500,000 has been raised thus far to fund the program, with an aim towards making it a permanent resource for MST survivors.

Kulik Scully also serves as a founding sponsor of the fund, and as founder and CEO of the Artemis Media Fund. Therapists from the Serenity Trauma Healing Center in Los Angeles and The Bridge to Recovery in Santa Barbara are co-developing the treatment program, which is slated to launch early next year.

The Invisible War, winner of the audience award for documentary at the Sundance Film Festival this past January and one of realscreen’s MIPTV Picks last April, delves into the disturbing story of sexual assault within the military. The U.S. Department of Defense has estimated that 19,300 service members were sexually assaulted in 2010 alone.

“Over the past two years, hundreds of female and male soldiers have come forward to recount their harrowing stories often for the first time,” said filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Zierling via a statement, adding, “We hope that the legacy of this film and The Artemis Invisible War Recovery Program will help victims heal from the profound trauma they have suffered.”

“The Invisible War has inspired this breakthrough pilot recovery program to address the real needs of veterans to cope and heal from sexual trauma,” said Kulik Scully. “It is poised to serve as a crucial template for recovery programs throughout the country and around the world.”

It’s about time for the truth to be told what would even be better is to bring all these people to justice Real Justice the perpetrators not the victims anymore.

http://www.facebook.com/skarlupka Michele Skarlupka

Bring it out so these kinds of horrible tragedies can be made public and maybe will stop occurring. Its funny how it was shown how the prisoners were mistreated in military custody and how men in the military are mistreated but us women who were mistreated and we are still being treated like second class or not even that much because prisoners of other countries who are terrorist still received more rights and notoriety then us women in the service who were victims of rape and or sexual assault. Thank you for providing this program.